A food blog of original, kitchen tested recipes with easy to follow instructions.

Eat!

Eating is a necessity. However, we choose what to eat. The choices we make reveal a great deal about us. The food you eat can tell quite a bit about your heritage, your family, your fears, your sense of adventure, your attitude toward yourself and others, and a myriad of other personal tidbits to anyone paying attention. Everything about eating is a glimpse into your soul.

I hope to reveal a little bit about myself to you through my food. I enjoy cooking. I enjoy eating. I find pleasure in bringing pleasure to others. I hope that by sharing my recipes I bring you a little bit of joy.

Cook my food. Feed it to the people you love.

Sunday, December 30, 2018

What are you doing
for New Year’s Eve? We usually go to my cousin’s, but she is visiting her son
this year. So, we are staying home. We are still dressing up and having snacks
and cocktails. We are just doing it alone.

I’m making Bacon Wrapped
Jalapeño Poppers and Wings. I know poppers are very mid-90s. I also know that I
don’t care. I eat what I like. These are super delicious.

Thanks for following
my blog this year. I hope next year brings you nothing but happiness.

Hardware:A cutting board and a paring knife, food prep
gloves, a food processor, a silicone spatula, a mixing bowl, a mixer, a spoon, a
large plate, foil, a baking sheet

Ingredients:

1-8oz package cream cheese

12 large jalapeños

8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup cooked, crumbled bacon (just buy the pre-cooked bacon
you can find with the salad dressing and croutons in the grocery store)

6 pieces of good bacon

Cooking spray

Ranch or blue cheese dressing

Put the cream cheese out to soften.

Make sure to wear the gloves while working with the peppers.
Wash the peppers. Leave the stems on them. Lay them down to discover how they
can lay without rolling. Cut a long section from the top of each pepper so it
resembles a canoe. Remove the seeds and white ribs from inside the jalapeños.

Place the pieces you removed from the peppers into the food
processor. Pulse them until they are the size of gravel. Scrape them into the
mixing bowl. Repeat with the bacon and the cheddar cheese.

Add the cream cheese to the crumbled bacon, jalapeños, and cheddar
cheese and mix until thoroughly combined.

Stuff the mixture into the peppers. You can mound it up a little.
Place the peppers into the freezer for at least on hour. If you have any
stuffing left over, it makes a great cheese spread.

Cover the baking sheet in foil and spray with cooking spray.
Pre-heat the oven to 325˚.

Cut the bacon long ways down the middle. You should now have
12 thin bacon strips. Remove the poppers from the freezer. Wrap a piece of bacon around each one. Try to have the
ends under the pepper. Place the poppers onto the prepared baking sheet and
bake for 30-40 minutes. If the bacon isn’t crispy enough for you at this point,
you can turn on the broiler. However, monitor them carefully, as they will burn
quickly.

Sunday, December 23, 2018

Are you having people over for Christmas
Eve or Christmas Day? Do you need a last-minute appetizer or snack? Baked Brie
with Apricots is delicious, truly beautiful and so, so very easy.

I used bacon crumbles that are
available in the salad dressing aisle, just to speed things up. However, when I
am cooking bacon, I cook 2 extra slices. I then wrap those slices tightly in aluminum
foil and place them in a Ziploc freezer bag. I use that bacon for recipes as
needed.

Servings:
8 ounces of brie 10-12 bites (make two)

Hardware:
A cutting board and knives, a small skillet, a microwave safe bowl (I used a
glass measuring cup for easy pouring), a silicone spatula, a baking sheet,
parchment paper, a serving platter and cheese spreaders or butter knives for
serving

Cut a square
of parchment that is 11”x11”. Preheat the oven to 350˚. Place the parchment
paper on the baking sheet. Place the brie wheel in the center of the parchment
paper. Place in the oven for 8 minutes.

While
the brie is baking, melt the butter in the skillet over medium. Add the chopped
pecans and toast until just golden. This should take about 1-2 minutes. Stir
the whole time. Add in the bacon, stir and remove from the heat.

After
the brie has baked for 8 minutes, sprinkle the chopped bacon, pecans and
apricots on the cheese and return it to the oven for another 3 minutes.

While
the brie is finishing, warm the preserves in the microwave safe dish until easy
to pour. I microwaved mine for 1 minute on 50% power. Microwave at 15 second
intervals after that until it is the proper consistency.

The cheese is very soft now, so be gentle. Carefully,
using the parchment paper, slide the brie onto the serving platter. Use the
silicone spatula to scoop up any wayward toppings and return them. Pour the warmed preserves
over the brie and serve right away. Offer your guests slices of baguette or
crackers.

Parmesan Rosemary Almonds are
another quick, last minute snack. If you have a nice jar, these also make a nice
hostess gift for any parties you might attend. If you are making the nuts into
a hostess gift, add a sprig of fresh rosemary to the jar as a decoration.

Melt the
butter in the microwave safe mixing bowl. Toss the nuts and the tablespoon of
rosemary until coated.

Cover
one of the baking sheets in parchment paper or the baking mat. Line the other
in 3 layers of paper towels.

Spread
the nuts out in a single layer on the sheet lined with parchment and place in
the oven. After 5 minutes, stir so that the outer nuts are moved to the center
and the inner nuts are moved out. Return them to the oven but monitor them closely.
As soon as most of the nuts are browned, remove them and spread them out in a
single layer on the paper towel lined sheet. Immediately, sprinkle on the salt
and remaining rosemary.

Allow
the nuts to cool for about 20 minutes. Place them and the cheese in the air
tight container and shake like crazy to coat. Taste and adjust the salt. Serve
at room temperature.

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About Me

I am a teacher living in Florida. I love teaching and I also love to cook. This blog combines those two loves. My recipes are very detailed because I am not making any assumptions about my readers' cooking experience. I want my blog to encourage even new cooks to be brave in the kitchen.